Generally regarded as an unbiased product information source, Consumer Reports criticized Cadillac’s CUE infotainment system in its critique of the new XTS sedan, which missed out on a “recommended” score, but why?

“First off the XTS scored quite well,” Consumer Reports senior automotive engineer Tom Mutchler said. “The score was lowered because of CUE,” he said, but that isn’t the reason it failed to garner a coveted ‘Recommended’ rating. In fact, “the XTS would have been recommended if we had reliability ratings for it,” he said.

Mutchler explained that while CUE fell under scrutiny, that doesn’t add up to a failure by a long shot. It’s quite the contrary, in fact.

He lauded the system, saying ” CUE works great for syncing with your smartphone, using apps and bluetooth.” He went on to say theXTS will get a “recommended” rating as long as the reliability ratings return positive results.

Many reviewers, AutoGuide included, have criticized CUE at times for making simple features finicky — something Mutchler echoed.

“It over-complicated simple things: this quest for styling — to get rid of normal knobs. It makes it all much more fussy,” he said, pointing to how simple things like changing the stereo volume and cabin temperature and unnecessarily difficult with CUE. “Especially when you compare CUE to the Chrysler Uconnect system,” he said. “That’s far easier to use.”

He also addressed the fact that Consumer Reports reflected positively on the exclusively touch screen controls in the Tesla Model S. While it might seem hypocritical, he said the Tesla’s system is easy to intuitive. Even more importantly, it’s much more responsive than other systems like CUE and MyFord Touch, which can both be sluggish.